Passenger cars having vehicle roofs are known from practice and are realized as off-road vehicles or SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles). For this purpose, the vehicle roof, which is commonly a fixed roof, comprises a roof opening which is arranged above a driver's seat and a passenger seat and which can be closed or at least partially opened by means of a sliding-roof arrangement. The sliding-roof arrangement is integrally incorporated in the roof structure and can be replaced by a roof opening system realized as an interchangeable insert and comprising a vehicle roof base frame.
Such a roof opening system is known from US 2015/0352937 A1 and comprises a vehicle roof base frame having two longitudinal legs, which are directed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when the base frame is installed, and a transverse leg, which is directed in the transverse direction of the vehicle and connects the two longitudinal legs to each other. The two longitudinal legs and the transverse leg are realized as separate parts, thereby forming a base frame having multiple parts.
The roof opening system can be realized in multiple parts in order to lower costs for transport and logistics. As a result, the roof opening system can be sent in a small package, for example. The roof opening system can subsequently be assembled or disassembled by a user of the respective vehicle as needed or desired. Altering the roof structure itself, on which the interchangeable insert can be placed, is not necessary in this instance. The interchangeable insert comprises the vehicle roof base frame which follows an edge of the roof opening. The base frame represents the element of the interchangeable insert which serves for connecting the roof opening system to the roof structure.
The base frame known from the document mentioned above, however, is not without problems in regard of sealing a vehicle interior off from environmental influences such as wind or wetness since the base frame does not comprise a corresponding element for protecting a vehicle interior accordingly.